DASC is a known aluminum salt which exhibits excellent acid neutralizing capacity, and therefore is particularly useful in antacid formulations. (See, Grote, U.S. Pat. No. 2,783,179, issued Feb. 26, 1957). However, the use of prior art DASC as the active ingredient in antacid formulations has been generally limited to non-liquid formulations (e.g. Rolaid tablets) because prior art DASC does not form stable aqueous suspensions at concentrations that produce acceptable acid neutralizing capacity. In addition, even dilute suspensions of prior art DASC possess an undesirable gritty appearance and taste, and rapidly form a sediment layer.
Several attempts have been made to stabilize aluminum hydroxide suspensions. For example, Alford, U.S. Pat. No. 2,999,790, issued Sep. 12, 1961, described combining hexitols such as sorbitol and mannitol with aluminum hydroxide gels in water to prevent thickening and hardening of the aluminum hydroxide gels.
Greene, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,591,680, issued Jul. 6, 1971, described the use of hydroxypropyl cellulose for stabilizing antacids such as magnesium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide, aluminum hydroxide, or calcium carbonate, which essentially involved slurrying the dry actives with water and hydroxypropyl cellulose.
Schmank, U.S. Pat. No. 3,629,229, issued Dec. 21, 1971, described water soluble antacid formulations that were prepared by reacting aluminum powder or aluminum isopropoxide with polyhydroxyl hydrocarbons.
Rubino, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,072, issued Sep. 5, 1978, described antacid compositions that were prepared by codrying hydrous, gelatinous aluminum-hydroxide materials with di- or trihydroxy alcohols.
Beekman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,272,704, issued Sep. 13, 1966, described antacid compositions that were prepared by co-drying aluminum hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide gels with hexitols.
Hem, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,090, issued Oct. 7, 1995, described antacid compositions containing silicate anions and aluminum hydroxy carbonates which purportedly possess the antacid properties of liquid aluminum hydroxide gels.
However, prior to the present invention, no methods have been taught or suggested for preparing DASC compositions which, upon introduction into aqueous solutions, results in suspensions that have the desired properties of stability and non-grittiness.